Jeff Koons Writes Love Letter About ‘The Croods’

An artist known for his outsize balloon dogs is also capable of outsize love letters.

Jeff Koons

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Jeff Koons fired off a doozy after seeing “The Croods,” one of five films up for best animated feature at next month’s Oscars. In an email to DreamWorks Animation chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg obtained by The Wall Street Journal recently, Koons praised the film as more than the story of a spunky Neander-teen in prehistoric times but a key to the meaning of life itself.

“The film is based on the philosophy of Plato’s Cave, of freeing oneself from the darkness and following the light to transcendence,” the 59-year-old artist wrote. “I walked out of the theater feeling that my family and I could feel a greater connection to what it means to be human…”

The movie, about a family trekking across an unknown landscape to find a new home after their cave is destroyed, is vying for the Oscar against “Despicable Me 2,” “Ernest & Celestine,” “Frozen” and “The Wind Rises.” Released last March, “The Croods” generated $187.2 million at the domestic box office, or just over the price of three balloon dogs (Koons’s huge mirror-polished color-coated canine went for $58.4 million last fall at Christie’s, a new record for the artist at auction).

Jeffrey Katzenberg

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The back story is all Hollywood: Koons was talking with film producer Harvey Weinstein, who told him to see “The Croods,” according to a person familiar with the matter. Word of the exchange got to Katzenberg’s camp, and a DVD of the film made its way to the Koons family on their holiday vacation in South Africa. Koons then emailed Weinstein asking him to forward his note to Katzenberg. Koons, Katzenberg and Weinstein declined to comment.

“The Croods,” which opened to mixed reviews, sold less than “Frozen” and “Despicable Me 2,” which brought in $359.6 million and $368.1 million at the U.S. box office, respectively, according to Box Office Mojo. Foreign ticket sales were far higher for all three films.

While critics praised “The Croods” for its 3-D effects and a cast that included Emma Stone, who voiced the heroine Eep, some also found the film short on laughs and a little shallow.

Harvey Weinstein

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Self-styled critics weighed in, too: The parenting blog “Birmingham Mommy” bemoaned the “side boob” it claimed was slipping from Eep’s tiger-striped wrap, while the religious website “Charisma News” gave the movie its stamp of approval for staying silent on evolution.

For animators who might feel relegated to the art world’s basement—dismissed as technicians, not artists—praise from big shots like Koons doesn’t come every day. In his note, Koons singled out the “physicality and density” of the visuals, calling them “very familiar but very strange.”

Here is the full letter:

Over the holiday season, I took my family of eight to see The Croods, which is a wonderful film about the life-changing journey of the first family on Earth. Being on a family road trip ourselves, we could immediately immerse ourselves in the odyssey of this primitive family. What really struck me about this film was this sense of time, how the past and present were woven together so that it connects to human history and the possibilities of our future. It deals with what it feels like to be human, to experience family, community and the possibility of life’s experience. The film is based on the philosophy of Plato’s Cave, of freeing oneself from the darkness and following the light to transcendence.

As survival is the only priority for the Croods, they confine themselves in a cave at night where the father hones their survival instincts by telling stories about how curiosity and newness always end in death. The cave is dark, and their teenage daughter’s curiosity leads them on an adventure. The whole family is forced to address their fears and eventually learn that curiosity and ingenuity are not only necessary for survival, but that ideas lead to enlightenment and to transcendence.

It seems that the prehistoric world that the Croods live in is not so different from today. They experience the same fears and the same family pressures. And Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco added a fair amount of present day references for good measure: conch shell cellphone, clay and stone camera, sports, fashion. Past and present are constantly interwoven.

There is something that is very familiar but very strange conveyed in the animation. There’s a sense of physicality and density that reinforces this sense that ideas come about through gut intuition and feelings. Visually, the film is stunning with rich colors and texture. Light is both an abstract idea but it has an impressive visual presence in the film. At every suspenseful turn in the film, there is light on the horizon that guides the family on. Light represents possibilities.

The imagination of The Croods lies both in the mastery of animation and the spirit of humanity found within the story. The film emulates our world as it deals with the human condition and a realization that it’s not just about survival but transcendence. After emerging from the darkness of the cave, the Croods learn to face their fears, and after initial reluctance, accept the guidance of an orphan boy. The guidance allows the family to draw upon his leadership and learn from their new experiences. It’s human nature to strive for and find a greater purpose in life. As the Croods begin to grasp the power of ideas and analyze their own existence, they move from contemplating the present to the universe and beyond. As their experiences become richer, they begin to understand that there is a human responsibility, not just to one’s self and family, but to one’s community. It’s a beautiful moment of enlightenment as the family experiences this growth and evolution. I walked out of the theater feeling that my family and I could feel a greater connection to what it means to be human and to face the challenges that we confront in being part of the ongoing story.

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